I have often heard that yes it does, and no it does not. The fact is that densho (transmission scrolls) do exist detailing the skills used in war and defense, including hand to hand combat. Does this qualify it as a martial art?

6 Answers
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From the standpoint of "is it a martial art" I think the answer is most definitively "yes." Many of the techniques it practices are very fitting in with other contemporary "martial arts." It teaches hand-to-hand combat and techniques such as dive rolls and breakfalls, among other things, that are commonly found in other martial arts. I can't really think of anything that would keep it from being considered a "martial art."

On the other hand, that's an easier question than whether it should be considered a traditional martial art. That's a substantially more difficult question, but not one that really detracts from whether it should be considered a martial art in its current form.

Agreed in regard to the "traditional" sense... I've heard many claimants argue that it is not a martial art at all and should not be confused as one, which is why I asked.
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stslavikJan 31 '12 at 23:05

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I've heard the same here and there, but I have a few friends that practice it and between talking with them and spending a few hours of trying to dodge a sword and counterattack effectively according to a structured drill in the class I attended, I'm not seeing what would disqualify it.
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David H. Clements♦Jan 31 '12 at 23:14

@stslavik What was their basis for saying so?
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Dave LiepmannAug 15 '12 at 18:00

@stslavik: Are Judo, BJJ, Krav Maga, Kempo Karate and others martial arts, even though they are not traditional martial arts? Yes. As there are blocks, kata, joint locks, throws, weapons training and more in Ninjutsu, of course it qualifies too. The criticism has been regarding if it is a traditional art or not, as extensive proof has not been provided regarding linage etc of the schools. But, you have to remember that a lot was passed down from person to person, there are not written proof for everything.
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DeletedMay 14 '13 at 12:20

@Kent martialarts.stackexchange.com/a/197/25 It makes for interesting discussion, but I'm not as sure as I used to be. Some ryuha that talk about martial skills also are in some places regarded simply as brigands. I lack the evidence to make a definitive judgment.
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stslavikMay 14 '13 at 21:43

For some reference, Ive been training in a ninjutsu school for a couple years now.

From what I have gathered is that the ninjutsu aspect of the art is more of a state of mind rather than specific martial schools. The ninjutsu aspect focus's on getting out of line of sight and distracting the opponent. In fact the only unique ninjutsu kata i have found teaches the person to distract and invade the opponent.

I agree from the stand point of ninpo being a state of mind; when one applies ninpo to taijutsu, you change the state of your approach to taijutsu (since jujutsu is a form of budo taijutsu, by changing your approach to the problem, but not necessarily the technique, you make it ninpo taijutsu). Ninjutsu is specifically a skill set tied into tradition (see Shoninki for an example of skills specific to the ninja).
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stslavikFeb 9 '12 at 19:57

If we assume, as others have described, that arts such as Kyudo, Kendo, Kickboxing, Kumdo, Escrima, etc. are martial arts, then we need to give a broad definition to the term. Martial Arts could, therefore, be described as:

A codified system for the development of skills of or derived from the arts of war.

In this way, we include under the banner 1.) combat sports (which we must acknowledge as, at the very least, being derived from warrior virtues), 2.) philosophical pursuits of war (Heiho/tactics, for instance, or the zen aspects of Kyudo without including pursuits such as Shodo or tea ceremony), and 3.) weapon arts (to not exclude those arts that are purely related to the development of a weapon skill, such as Iai, whether or not they are viewed, correctly or incorrectly, as practical). Further, we exclude any need or demand for any moral guidance through the art, allowing both those arts dubbed do and jutsu to be acceptable.

Then, if we accept this definition, we must accept ninjutsu as a martial art, since it is inclusive of tactics, weapon skills, and those traditionally warlike aspects of effectively eliminating an enemy.

Edit

I've come to a new realization regarding ninjutsu, which I feel I need to share. Please forgive its depth. Going through the shoninki, bansenshukai, and shinobi hiden (along with new translations) have led to a new understanding. This too is likely to change.

Ninjutsu is an erroneous name; the art is better written 忍ノ術, read "Shinobi-no-Jutsu", the arts of the shinobi. The art, or rather collection of skills, is not combative, and consists of a series of skills related to their abilities:

kajutsu and kayakujutsu – The use, carrying, and creation of fire and explosives (black powder and compressed explosives). This would include sub-skills of arson and demolitions.

Shinobi-iri - To go as a shinobi; that is, to move through a target location with the intent of completing a mission and without detection. This would include infiltration and extraction, cartography, human intelligence management (torture), breaking and entering, acting, deception, cold reading, espionage, conversational skills, disguise, con-artistry and misdirect, scouting, climbing, tunneling, and signaling.

Is there a unique [set of martial arts] for the ninja? Not in my experience. The basic weapon work (bokken, bo, tanto) is very similar to other "traditional" Japanese martial arts, and so is the un-armed stuff. What is different (but again, not unique) is the emphasis on "warrior combat" and "battlefield awareness" with an eye on surviving, not achieving an honourable death.

The -jutsu does not, in and of itself, make for a martial art. Further study of the Japanese language will show other cases where -jutsu is used to describe other skills (saiminjutsu means hypnosis, and taijutsu only means body skills, which can apply to the skills used by a prostitute or a baker in their day to day lives just as easily as a martial artist; the very reason that we describe our art as ninpo taijutsu or budo taijutsu)
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stslavikFeb 6 '12 at 16:36

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I stand corrected as to the etymology of the word.
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GuyFeb 9 '12 at 19:45

Sometimes I like Zhougari... Sometimes I think he's blinded by his own diagnosis. Nothing is unique, and it is true that ninjutsu does focus on surviving. There are techniques that specifically fall under the banner of ninjutsu, however they are not unique to the art, just as wrist locks are not unique to jujutsu or aikido.
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stslavikFeb 9 '12 at 20:00

I would think it can definitely be considered an art because it evolves over time, and students who become teachers will favor certain techniques and skills, and will assimilate techniques and skills from other arts.

It also is not a closed system bound by unbreakable rules - IOW if you come up with a new technique or skill that works then you can incorporate it in. This in itself would mean it satisfies the definition of an art as opposed to a science or practice.

Actually, this is almost entirely incorrect. See "Shoninki", "Bansenshukai", or "Ninpiden" for historical reference. I won't go into modern texts as these have little basis...
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stslavikFeb 1 '12 at 16:41